How do you make a mojito?

The mojito is one of the most popular cocktails and it can be made in many ways. The usual recipe prescribes lime wedges, cane sugar, light rum, mint leaves, crushed ice and sparkling water. It is quite a nice recipe, but if you want to make it like a real cocktail bartender, then follow the procedure below.

Course of action

Place the lime wedges in the bottom of a glass and pour the cane sugar over them. With a mortar, press the lime wedges so that the sugar is soaked in lime juice. Take a handful of mint leaves in one hand, give them a good clap with the other and put the leaves in the glass (explanation follows). The rum is then poured on top and the glass is filled halfway with crushed ice. With a barspoon churn the drink so that all the sugar is mixed and the lime wedges and mint do not just lie on the bottom. Finally fill completely with crushed ice and top it off with Sprite (trust me, Sprite is better than sparkling water).

The mint leaves should not be mashed beyond recognition together with the lime wedges for primarily two reasons:

1. The taste of mint should not be too strong.
   A hard slap on the mint leaves will release the oils and flavor at a more appropriate level than if they were muddled/pounded. You can easily test the difference yourself by placing a mint leaf on your tongue and pressing it up against the palate. Here the oils and a pleasant taste are released. If you then start chewing on the mint leaf, you will quickly experience a bitter taste and we are not interested in that.
   
   
2. Visually, whole mint leaves just look better. In addition, you also avoid drinking the small pieces of mint leaves and maybe even blocking your straws with them.

Cane sugar should be used for a mojito, not syrup. The cane sugar gives the cocktail just the right mouthfeel, as the sugar grains give a slightly gritty texture.

Choose the right ingredients

There is no point in using bad ingredients, as it drags down the whole taste experience. It is therefore important that both the lime and the mint are fresh when used.

The last ingredient in the recipe, namely the rum, must be found in a middle way. It can quickly become too cheap, but it can also quickly become too expensive. Remember that the rum must be part of an interaction with the other ingredients. This means that an expensive rum cannot be truly enjoyed, but also that a cheap rum drags it all down. A good middle ground is Havana Club Añejo 3 Años, which is a reasonable light rum for many different cocktails. The bottle normally costs around DKK 130 for 70 cl.

Other variations of mojito

As mentioned at the beginning, a mojito can be made in many different ways.

Non-alcoholic mojito

In addition to a Strawberry Daiquiri, the mojito is one of those cocktails that makes it really good non-alcoholic. It is even without it being difficult. The ingredients in a mojito give so much flavor that if you remove the rum, you still have a tasty drink. Read more about non-alcoholic cocktails here: non-alcoholic cocktails.

Strawberry mojito

As the name might reveal, this variation is about strawberries. In all its simplicity, it boils down to adding strawberries in addition to the normal recipe. They are added together with lime wedges and muddled at the same time. In this way, the juice from the strawberries is included from the very beginning, and gives the drink a twist. Finally, you can decorate it with extra strawberries. Again, remember that the strawberries must be fresh to achieve the best taste experience.